This first set of pictures is just some really cool sculptures at a gas station in Arizona. Seriously, there is some incredibly cool stuff just sitting along the side of the road in this country, waiting to be discovered. Not sure if you can tell from the pics, but these statues are made of what looks like metal plates, welded together in panels. It's a really interesting effect.

Honestly, when you're on a road trip, take pictures of the roadside! You can get all sorts of shots - sky, abandoned buildings, old homesteads, animals in pastures...just scenery you want to remember, even odd sounding town names on road signs. See the sign that says "Marked Tree"? That was a town name that I just had to have a picture of that road sign. The entire town of 'Marked Tree" seemed to actually just be the tree. I don't think there were any buildings there. It was wonderful.

My family is on a six week trip around the country – showing the kids major spots like the Grand Canyon, and Washington DC. However, three weeks in a Tahoe with six kids will teach ya a few things. You can follow us on my blog…www.sherrychamblee.weebly.com. We are also using the hashtag #Gr8USrdTrp on Facebook andLaundry has been a thing we’ve dealt with extensively so far. It’s rained everywhere we’ve gone, so there have been lots of messy days. Having to go to the camp laundry room means sitting there and waiting, so I’ve had some time to think recently.First, we all have our own baggage. We carry around with us the things we think we HAVE to have to get through…or those things we feel obligated to carry with us. Sometimes we’re right. Other times, not so much. We put extras in our bag that we really won’t need. Thing is, it doesn’t just go away, that extra stuff. It has to be purposely left behind, or thrown out. Sometimes we don’t know it isn’t needed until we get out on the road and see for ourselves. Unnecessary burdens can be guilt we’ve piled on ourselves…maybe for things that weren’t really our fault, or things God doesn’t spell out as sin, or something to avoid. We can’t always just take it out of our bag and set it down. We have to purposely take those unnecessary burdens, put them in a trash bag, and leave them behind in a garbage can.Second, we often grab someone else’s ‘stuff’ and carry it around with us for them. They might not even know we have it, but it’s weighing us down, wearing us out, taking up room meant for our own stuff. This happens when we grab someone else’s offense and decide it should be ours, too. Or when someone else was the one doing wrong, but we pick up the guilt and carry it around. It’s ok to help pick up someone else’s things, shake it out, fold it up neat…but when you’re done, put it back in their bag, not yours.Third, we all have dirty laundry. Sometimes we want to pretend our dirt don’t stink…we give the notion that we never have issues, never get dirt stains or spills, never need a ‘laundry day.’ That attitude in us discourages others around us. I don’t mean to air your dirty laundry on other people’s front yards…no. Just don’t try to hide the fact that you have to clean your laundry, too.So remember the next time you do laundry – carry only what you really need, only keep your own ‘stuff’ in your bag, and don’t hide the fact that you need to clean it sometimes, too.We’ve all got baggage…and that’s ok.……………….I can be found on Facebook at Author Sherry Chamblee, and Twitter @SherryChamblee

The Myrtle Beach State Park is beautiful, with pine trees that touch the sky, lovely myrtle and magnolia trees, soft pine needles carpeting the forest floor, and little campsites tucked in amongst it all. However, during our stay it was forevermore hot and humid, and did not cool off overnight. In fact it only cooled off when it began raining - not a gentle mist softly brushing your face, either. No, more like torrential downpour. Again...it's all good.

Before the rain though, I made a discovery. A lovely little trail led off from our campsite through the woods to the bathhouse. However, before I got halfway down the trail the first time, my way was barred by a magnificent spiderweb and a spider to match. This was the Shelob of South Carolina. I don't know what kind it was, only that it could have carried away a small child if it had wanted. Considering myself quite brave, I swallowed hard, grabbed a long stick, and tried to gently convince it to move aside. It did not run away. The thing grabbed the stick, and I swear would have beat me with it if I hadn't retreated quickly. Some might call it running and screaming back down the trail, but I prefer the term 'timely retreat.'

I found a different way to the bathhouse.

Well, after the rain came we didn't get to see much else. The kids did get a chance to play in the Atlantic Ocean though, so we still had lots of fun.

Next we drive to Memphis. A good friend from online wanted to meet us there - she drove three hours to see us and have lunch at Leonard's Pit Barbecue. Memphis was nice - though we didn't really explore the city....much. Besides our GPS taking us directly to the middle of the industrial area - which was odd. We found Leonard's, which was great food. I swear, I think the best sourdough biscuits in the country exist in that place. (I haven't had San Francisco sourdough, so that doesn't count.)

After that, came another long car ride. We drove through six states in one day and night.

Had to get a picture of the street sign for Tuscaloosa - we listen to a comedian that mentions that town all the time. So it was fun being that close.

In Georgia, we stopped at a little town called Chamblee. Yes, we wanted to show the kids the town named after our family.

We took a bunch of pictures of different signs with the kids...including a police car. I'm sure the officer sitting in the car thought we were crazy when we asked if we could take a picture, but he was very gracious.

So the next installment will be coming soon as I can - hopefully tomorrow. There will be more and better pictures, too, as I've just been a little worn out lately for some odd reason.

So after Grand Saline, Texas, we spent one more night in Dallas. Originally we'd been intending on driving straight from there to Arkansas, but with the rain and the laundry and a few other things, we weren't able to leave when we'd planned. That next morning we did attempt to get up early and get moving....early turned into something like 10:30 or 11AM before we got on the road. The road was up to Arkansas... another place I'd never been before. For some reason, I was surprised at how green Arkansas is. I don't know if I thought it was all just a brown streak, but it's very pretty. Big trees all along the highway, and lovely rolling hills, like so much of the middle of America.

We pulled into the Jacksonport State Park about 9:30PM - we made a few stops along the way, so it took us awhile. Well, we went to open the door of that car, and it was hot out there...and dark. KOA's are bustling places, typically very quiet, but very populated. The one in Dallas was right in the middle of the city, though surrounded by big trees and bushes to make it look like it was out in the wilderness, you can still hear the traffic going by. The state parks though are often mostly empty of campers. I don't think most people realize you can camp in them, and the rates are often way less than anything else around. So we were camping way out in the dark, next to a river. There was plenty of noise, but it was all crickets and katydids. The humidity hit us like a fist, right in the face. We all made a decision right then - we'd sleep the rest of the night in the air conditioned car - so we did. This night was also my cummupence for joking around about going 'squatching'.... (looking for Sasquatch - 'Big Foot' - while we travel.) I'd been joking about it so much, that that night I had to put up a blanket on the windows so the Sasquatch wouldn't be able to see in. Sounds silly - grown woman and all that I am ... it's still not weird.

The next day we made camp, walked the nature trail, went to buy a few groceries, and roasted a couple marshmallows for s'mores. Then in the afternoon we visited another ranch, the second planned for this trip - where a friend of mine had said we could ride horses. We wanted the kids to get some experiences with people who work hard outside and keep our country going every day. To see some farms, and experience what it's like to live in the country.

So her horses are great - what we call 'bomb proof'. Seriously, especially her big red horse, Ben - an actual bomb could go off and he'd flick an ear, prop a back hoof up, and look for something else to eat. This is good, because at one point, John was up on his back facing forward, their 8 year old son was sitting with John, only facing backwards, and the two of them were trying to get Ben to move. Ben was totally ignoring them - and continued to ignore them until they got off.

The thing that amazed me there, though, was to see my children all get up on horses and just ride like they'd been doing it often before now. Most of them haven't been up on a horse more than once or twice for a little pony ride. But they got up there, acted like it was completely natural, and just rode. By not too long, Hannah and Tricia were trotting around the arena with no problems at all. Then Sasha let me get up on Romeo, her blind gelding, and I was lost. I didn't want to get off - he's a great horse...has a very smooth trot, and was just such a joy to ride. Especially because Sasha just let us ride. She didn't worry about trying to lead us around, or anything else. She let us take our own risks, and do our own thing, and i so appreciate her for doing that. It let me really see what I and my kids were capable of doing.

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Notice there aren't as many pictures of us here. This is because I spent most of my time on horseback. There's more of the horses on my Facebook page.

Next stop - Chamblee, Georgia - after another long drive.

As always, you can follow our trip using #Gr8USrdtrp and #BigGiantPickle on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

What an amazing day! First we finished drying out from the day before – gotta keep up on the laundry even when you’re on vacation.

Then we went out to Dealey Plaza, where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. We saw the two x’s where they marked the first and second shot. We saw the grassy knoll, and the bridge behind it where I personally now believe the second shooter had to have stood. So yes, now I’m a conspiracy theorist. It’s not weird.

…………………………………………………….. After that, we drove out to Grand Saline where we had the immense privilege of meeting Heather Perillo and her lovely herd of horses. Please realize - they were not looking for cookies. I've seen horses give you their attention until they realize you don't have anything to eat. These guys weren't like that. They were just enjoying the kids and the attention.

Each one had so much personality. She warned us before we got in the pasture with them that they’d crowd around us and beg for attention – which they did, and we loved it. My kids loved on those babies of hers, and the babies loved on them, not being rowdy or mean, just letting us know they wanted our attention.

We spent at least an hour just standing around hugging and petting the mares and foals, including one prima donna yearling gelding named Solo. When he got told he was being pushy he actually pouted. It was quite a spectacle to see. (Ps. He pouted, but didn’t even stomp a hoof in protest…now that’s teaching manners.)

<------This is James with his arm around Solo, by the way. This guy was loving the attention the whole time and was probably only annoyed that there weren't six children hanging off him.

What a privilege to meet the great Darktanion, her purebred Friesian stallion, too. He was so kind and gentle, making sure he knew where the kids were and being careful with us. By this time, Tricia had already asked if we’d be able to ride any of the horses, and Heather was gracious enough to let us sit on Darktanion. He’s a splendid horse, with a very kind and gentle spirit, so with a helmet on, we all got to take a turn – as he allowed it. We held out a hand, and if he lipped at it then we were allowed up. He accepted all of us, and we got to take a turn around the pen. He practically tiptoed around when the younger kids were up on him, he was so careful to not let one of them fall off. Heather also showed us the tricks he was able to do, and it was really cool.

His lovely yearling filly, Tesora, was a joy especially. What an incredible thing to know that a horse that really looks at you, has measured you and found you acceptable. I’ve been watching her on Facebook already, and will continue hopefully to follow her career.

What a joy to see these large animals reach down to my little eight-year-old daughter and nudge her gently until she patted them. Especially Everest, the large grey Percheron mare. She was especially accommodating to the kids, but each one acted as if it were their duty to greet each child and be sure to be petted several times. Even in the midst of a herd, I wasn’t afraid that any of these horses would trample them. Why? Because Heather had taught the kids how to act, first, and second, because Heather has her horses’ hearts.

I must say, Heather is an incredible educator. I was so appreciative that she took the time to answer all the kids’ questions, and to show me things I had been wondering about for a long time. She taught me some basic things about conformation, and what a sports horse really is, and so much more. She took particular care to really teach my kids how to interact properly with her horses, showing them, having them correct their mistakes and make them right, rather than getting too worried and rushing in to form a barrier. By the end, my bouncy, hyper ten-year-old was calmly rubbing their faces and getting lots of good attention from the horses, too. We will always remember our time at New Horizon’s Ranch, and I thank Heather and her dad for being so accommodating to us, and for being willing to spend so much quality time with us.

So after that emotional roller coaster, we are now heading back over to a friend’s house…my husband’s good friend from school…as we missed seeing him on Saturday. Then we’ll all go collapse in our tent for one more night here, then on our way to Arkansas.

Remember to follow us at #Gr8USrdTrp or #BigGiantPickle on Facebook and Instagram for more pics closer to real time.

Well the longest car ride so far is finished. It rained…again. It was raining when we left Utah, and it was raining when we left Colorado. So far it’s rained nearly everywhere we’ve gone. Honestly, the fourteen-hour car ride was not that bad. We switched off drivers, and I finally have realized what the secret is to keeping the kids a bit less cranky on long runs – switch their seating arrangement around sometimes. So with the three youngest in the back (because it’s got the least leg room), I’ve taken to switching one of the youngest with one of the older kids, so there’s more room in the second row of seats, and less fighting in the back row of seats. (I don’t know if that was smart, but it’s been quieter, so we’re going with it.) Again, we drove through so many wide open spaces – though this is a more populated area than we’ve been in before. Colorado is green and has rolling hills and gentle meadows. There were more cows, and more little ranches dotting the hillsides. Still, lots of wide, open spaces. Once we hit Texas it grew sparse at times again…and flat. Almost completely the opposite of Arizona and Utah, Texas has very little difference in landscape. The first part of our trip through the Lone Star State was through some very small towns. One was population 139, exactly. Now that’s small! Our church has more people on a Sunday morning service than live in that entire town. Texas has a general feel of more patriotism, too, and more willingness to just come out and talk about God without apology. Within the first hour I saw a roadside bulletin board that read, “God loves you, all the time.”

Thing is, there seems to be more abandoned buildings, closed businesses, empty and forlorn homes scattered across the plain, and lining the street as we pass. It’s something I’ve already noticed in every state so far – that there seems to be an abandoned shack somewhere in pastures all over the place. I don’t see this as much in California, but especially in ranch and farm country, everywhere I look there’s an old house, broken or boarded up windows, weeds around the front door, roof caving in. I don’t know why this is different where I’m from, but we seem to not let the old houses stand around. So at one point, we stopped because all of us drivers were worn out. Turned the car off, but… yes, there’s a ‘but.’ We left the air turned on – and we were so tired we fell asleep that way. After nearly an hour, I climbed in the driver’s seat, let my daughter get in the back, then turned the key in the ignition only to hear a ‘click’, ‘click’….but no engine sounds. We had run down the battery. Remember, we’re in a small town in northwestern Texas. The only people who pass by at 5AM are truckers, and they’re not stopping for anyone. Plus we’d pulled off into what we thought was a gas station. As the light grew, I realized the windows were all boarded up, the parking lot was full of weeds and cracks, and it had a general air of having been abandoned. Uncle Bob’s Food Mart and Fuel Stop was all finished with trying to make a go of it…and we were stuck waiting.

Thankfully my daughter is a subscribing member of AAA. But, we were so far out in the middle of things, that they had to call an independent contractor – and none of them were answering their phones at first. So instead of AAA’s usual fast service, it took nearly two hours to get someone out there for a little jump. However, they did come, and they did a good job. We started the car after a few tries, then began the trek once more. Getting to Dallas, we set up our tent for the first time so far, and prepared for our stay. The KOA’s have all been great! Everyone is very helpful and friendly. Thing is, this time the guy introducing us with well-deserved pride to his newly-created tent area, also told us they had a waterproof box right there on the tent site if we needed it. “Of course, it’s not likely to rain while you’re here,” he said to us with a grin. Not an hour later it was pouring. Absolutely, completely, and totally pouring. This cooled everything off significantly, for which I was very grateful, but it also meant our tent was getting wet, and everything we had on was getting wet. Well, we tightened up the tent, hoping it wouldn’t leak, and piled back into the Tahoe to go visit our friends across town. We had a very nice time, and I must say – I wish I could visit everyone I know on this trip. I feel bad for not being able to get to see some people – whether it’s because we didn’t realize they lived in that area soon enough, or because schedules didn’t match up quite. I hope everyone I know realizes that I wish I could visit them all in person. It’s just not possible if we want this to only be a ‘six-week’ trip, and not a six-MONTH trip.

Ok, so when we got back to our tent, yes, everything was pretty dry, and by then it had stopped raining. Of course, we opened the air vents on the sides, and soon fell fast asleep as we were all very tired. Along about 3AM thunder crashed and lightning flashed again, and the downpour began afresh. This meant kids had to scramble outside to close those vent flaps, and I scrambled with tarp on the inside to try to cover the sleeping bags and duffle bags.

Our efforts were not completely in vain – a few things were left dry. But the rest of the night was rather soggy. It rained most of the next day, too, and by the time it stopped there was a puddle in the front of the tent, two whole duffle bags worth of clothes were sopping, as well as four sleeping bags needing to be dried out. We tried to pack so we’d only have to do laundry once a week, but so far, what with all the rain, I’m sitting here in the KOA laundry room at midnight doing laundry for the third time this week. We’ll figure it out as we go, I’m sure. And maybe things won’t be as wet later on in the trip. Still, I do love the sound of a good rain.

Remember to follow us at #Gr8USrdTrp or #BigGiantPickle on Facebook and Instagram for more pics closer to real time.

Well, I found that schoolhouse, and then parked the car there and slept for a few more hours since it was too late to check into a campground at that point. When the sun rose, I got pictures, of course, then explored the area a little. It’s a lovely place. I can tell the people really take pride in their farms. The pastures are neat and tidy, the animals obviously cared for, fences mended. Everything’s quaint and rustic, but not run down nor neglected.

After that, we replenished some supplies, then made our way over to Mesa Verde, where the Anasazi cliff dwellings were carved into the cliffs over 1,000 years ago. Oh my, what a dream come true to see those! I’ve always wanted to visit them. Yet in all my years of wanting to go there, I always imagined it different. I had just assumed that one could see them from the bottom of a canyon, or a road drove by that would let us look up and see them.

No, not the case.

One must be on TOP of the mesa in order to see these cliff dwellings. Practically as scary as the Grand Canyon. I drove up that mountain, which was the only way I could handle the heights, and made it nearly the whole way before I had to stop in order to calm my nerves.

The park there has done a good job of making the entire experience very educational though. We didn’t just go look and see, then go home. They have a Mesa Top Loop that you drive through. There are ten or so different stops along that loop, each one is a spot where an excavation had found some Anasazi village remains. We learned about Pithouses, Kivas, and sun temples, all on little flat patches, covered with pinyon trees and small bushes. The ground is a spongy, springy type of reddish loam, very comfortable to walk on, actually.

I wanted to see the cliff dwellings though – so while the villages on top of the mesa are truly fascinating, I was very excited to finally see one of the complexes carved into the cliff face.

Thing is, in order to see them you are perched on a ledge (yes, with a good fence) and pointed across a canyon to them. They are quite easily seen, plus there are binoculars stationed at each ledge to get a real closeup view. They don’t picture all that well from that distance though, at least not most of them. A couple are actually very close, and you can see them very clearly without the binoculars.

There are guided tours you can take that get you right up to the carvings in the cliff face, but they are on the strenuous side, and I don’t know that I can handle that at this point. I was quite satisfied to see them the way I did, though. And all of this for only $15 a car. (If you plan to go there, check their website first before planning your dates. They have free days scattered throughout each year.)

Yes, I also drove back down to level ground from the mesa, too. I can’t imagine living one’s entire life on top of that mesa. What an incredible thing to think of.

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So now that we’ve packed about three days worth of stuff into one, we’re on our way to Dallas, Texas. It’s still only about 7PM, but I feel like I’ve lived about a week’s worth today. Doing ok, not overly exhausted, just had many experiences and emotions today.

August 12 The Grand Canyon is a beautiful place! Try standing on the edge though. My children have far less fear than I do. My husband braved all the way out on Mather Point lookout, standing along the rail with the crowds of other people. I, on the other hand, barely made it down the first set of stairs…and that only after my three eldest cajoled me into it. I was the comedic break for several complete strangers, but quite a few others looked at me knowingly and sympathetically. I nearly shut down when Alicia stood on a spot that made it look like she was on the edge. I dutifully took pictures – at least one of which clearly shows Alicia’s expression of ‘I’m fine Mom, quit freaking out.’ The kids loved it all. Thankfully they were quite content with not acting like they were falling off, so they didn’t purposely give me a heart attack. We finally left ‘death’s edge’, and began the trek up to Utah, with just a little detour south. ………………………………………………………….

We’re now at the point of our trip where I’ve never ever been before. In my travels I’ve followed Hwy 40 from Milwaukee a couple times, or Hwy 80 going the northern route. This area, upper Arizona and Utah, isn’t on that route. So for me this is wonderfully new.

So, going through the northern part of Arizona towards Utah – there’s so much emptiness out here. Looks at times like Monument Valley, though we’re really not in that area right now. There are large buttes of red rock rising all along the highway, and scattered along the base of those buttes there are small, ramshackle houses and outbuildings, little settlements, usually just enough for one family, maybe two. I can only imagine what it must be like, living way out here, away from everyone else.

At one point near Kanab, AZ, John had to go potty (of course), so we stopped. (After he screamed, ‘Nature’s calling! No, Nature’s Yelling!’) When we stopped, the quiet was so utterly complete that you could hear it. We were totally alone on the road – coming from Burbank where there’s always the roar of traffic, planes overhead, cars, people nearby, this was a profound quiet. (Even with John around. :D) Yes, I took photos of the entire place, even video to illustrate.

Then we turned off Hwy 89, and crossed the Colorado River. Right on the other side was another little settlement, right on the rim of part of the river. It looked like the canyon dropped out from behind their property. It’s astounding, and inspiring, where people will live.

After that, there were miles upon miles of just plain emptiness. No one’s here, then suddenly a house will pop up. Some are abandoned, but many are not. One tiny house had a lovely car in front of it. Another bigger house had at least twenty cars scattered around the property, under trees, next to barns, near pasture gates.

Right now, our eldest daughter is driving, and I’m looking out the window over dunes and crags and hazy bluffs in the distance. There’s a gorgeous sunset, orange-bottomed clouds stretching across a purple and blue sky, deep purple-gray buttes in silhouette.

But then it got too dark to see outside much, and the road turned into a twisty mountain road that took more concentration.

This leg of the trip also took longer than we’d expected, so by the time we pulled up to our friend’s house it was nearly 10:30pm. We spent the night, had a great time of fellowship the next day, and went to church with them on Wednesday. My husband taught the adult class, and the people there were just so nice. The congregation was so nice, and we really enjoyed fellowshipping with them. Though they’ve been in that area for almost 30 years, they’re a small group, so pray for Grace Baptist Church in Washington, Utah.

We will be in Cortez, Lebanon, and Pueblo in the next few days. We want to visit Mesa Verde, to see the cliff dwellings. My grandmother lived for several years in Lebanon, going to a one-room-schoolhouse that I want to see, and her old house is still standing last I heard. So it’ll be a neat time of finding some of my old roots.

Chamblee Family

Yes, all eight of us, in a Chevy Tahoe, driving across the country in an epic search for history, adventure, and a little bit more leg space in the back seat.

We will also be camping along the way - this should lead to some nice hilarity, and thus plenty of blog fodder.

We'll be visiting some horse ranches, old and new friends, relatives (who shall remain blissfully nameless), and lots of museums. There will even be a week of work in Wisconsin, so it isn't totally a vacation.